Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-08-27
MRS. TOM HENDRICKS.
CHAT WITH A VICE
PRESIDENTS WIDOW.


How . Noted Woman Looks and Acts.
Her Home and Her Opinion of Her
Husband . Hendricks Papers - What
They Are-His Habits.
Especial Correspondence
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 10.
called recently upon Mrs. Vice President
Hendricks, and had a long chat with her
about herself and her husband She still
lives in the roomy, square, old fashioned resi-.
dence which she and Hendricks occupied so
long together. 1t is a two story brick, just
opposite the magnificent S2.0Oo.OOO state
house which Indiana has about completed.
The house is corner one, and it has a wido
smooth cut lawn at the front and side. Its
parlor windows are long, and they look out
upon the street. A wide front door leads you
into roomy hall in which rocking chairs
stand, and through which a cool breeze
always blows At the right of this there Is
parlor, and both this and the sitting room
which adjoins it have been improved with
new mantels and CRATES since Governor Hen
bricks died Mrs. Hendricks tells me this
was the idea of her husband, and that she has
carried it out. The parlor mantel has fire.
place, and the fine brass and irons, with their
posts representing rearing dragons, and tho
brass fender and fire set are those which use,l
to stand in the vice presidents room a,
the Capitol, and which the United States sen.
ate gave to Mrs. Hendricks upon Mr.. Hen
bricks death as testimonial Mrs Hendrick,
has adapted these to the use of natural gas,
and they viii be connected with the gas mains
as soon as the pipes are put into indianapolis.
-.
At the right Of this fireplace, on an easel,
stands a large oil portrait of Vice President
Hendricks. 1t is about three feet square and
a splendid likeness It has, as Mrs. Hen
bricks told me, the best expression of her bus
band. 1t is by Mrs. Ingrahm, Of Indian.
apolis, and it will probably eventually find its
way to Washington.
Mrs. Hendricks greeted me very cordially,
She was dressed in deep mourning. She wore
short black dress, a black polka dot hand
kerchief about her throat and there were din.
monds in her ears. She is still good look.
ing woman, and is apparently some where be.
tween 40 and so years Of age She has q
small, well formed face and fresh blue eyes
the sparkle Of which shines through her black
trimmed spectacles as she talks. Her hair is
still dark, and she has the vivacity of girl.
She talks very freely, and is not averse to
chatting about her husband. She was very
fond of him, it is said, and since his death she
does not go into society. While / was pres.
ent she sent regrets in response to an invita-
ton to dine, and as she did SO she said ~
hardly think it is honest for me to send re.
grets in such cases. do not regret going
and want to stay at home. Still, it is all
right, as certainly regret the circumstance.
which make it necessary to refuse"
s*s
here told Mrs Hendricks that under
stood that she was going to write biography
of her husband. She replied
"That is a mistake. do not intend to write
one, though l have Mr.. Hendricks paper.
and hope to have them edited some day.
have had many applications from people who
wish to publish extracts from these papers OF
to found sketches upon them. have refuset
them because did not want to get the pa
pers scattered, and because think that wher
the work is published it should be worthy
one and full of new matter. Mr.. Hendrick.
was the leader of his party. He lived grea
deal of history and the world has yet to know
him as he really was"
"Of what do the papers consistl"
"They cover the whole period of his life
They contain all Of his speeches, things said
for and against him, scrap books and Other
material, filling in all six or seven store boxes
They were methodcally arranged but l ar
now going over them and reclassifying then
for future use. 1t is big job And though
l knew great deal about Governor Hen
bricks business I find it hard one and il
will take some time to finish it."
"Are there many personal letters among
these papers, and is there much unwritter
history contained in theml" asked II sup
pose some Of the letters may compromise
some of the men now livinga"
"No," said Mys. Hendricks emphatcally, 81
think not Mr. Hendricks destroyed every
thing of that nature. He did not think il
right to keep such letters, and no one appre
ciated better than he how letters might read
after the circumstances under which they
were written had changed. l have received
letters from many persons who have feared
that such was not the case, and have found il
hard to convince them that their letters have
been destroyed. A New York politician who
has been making a record of and gathering
together his correspondence written at the
| time Of the Tilden campaign, was positive
that his letters must have been kept l went
over five boxes of papers and failed to find
them. Mr.. Hendricks was cautious man ir
such things. He did not like to write letters
and never did SO when he could have a Der
sonal interview. He did not care for himself
but be was afraid that in some way his party
OF his friends might be injured"
"Did he ever write an autobiography OF
plan to do 500"
"No, think not. He was interested in O
history of the Indiana constitutional conven
ton, which was being prepared before his
death, and he wrote out some notes of his life
for this and gave them to Mr.. w. H. English
There was biography written shortly after
his death, and the authors called upon me fol
the facts, but my mind was so disturbed al
the time that my memory seemed to fail me
in my trouble and l could not do justice &c
them"
"You say you think the country does moi
rightly understand Governor Hendricks"
"Yes He was an entirely different charac
ter from what people suppose him to have
been. He was not politician in the ordin.
airy sense of the word. He did not love poll.
tics for his own aggrandizement He went
into it because he thought he could do good
and could better his party and his country.
This was his only aim. He was one Of tho
most unselfish Of men, and during the las,